Year 4 Navigators - Hazel Parks

Year 4 pupils from Hazel Class had to navigate their way round London and complete a number of challenges this week. Each class was split into four groups:

1. Royal Parks
2. Significant buildings
3. Cathedrals
4. Bridges

It was a great chance to find out more about some of the capital's open spaces, enjoy the stunning views, walk through some incredible history... and play on some of the equipment too!

Third on the list was Hyde Park. Did you know that... 

• Hyde Park covers over 350 acres.
• Henry VIII acquired Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536; he and his court were often to be seen on thundering steeds in the hunt for deer. 
• Charles I who changed the nature of the park completely. He had the Ring (north of the present Serpentine boathouses) created and in 1637 opened the park to the general public.
• In 1665, the year of the Great Plague, many citizens of London fled the City to camp on Hyde Park, in the hope of escaping the disease.

Rotten Row

Towards the end of the 17th century William III moved his court to Kensington Palace. He found that his walk to St James's was very dangerous, so he had 300 oil lamps installed, creating the first artificially lit highway in the country. This route later became known as Rotten Row, which is a corruption of the French 'Route de Roi' or King's Road.

Queen Caroline, wife of George II, had extensive renovations carried out and in the 1730s had The Serpentine, a lake of some 11.34 hectares, created.

National Celebrations

Were you aware that Hyde Park is a venue for national celebrations?

• In 1814 the Prince Regent organised fireworks to mark the end of the Napoleonic Wars
• In 1851 (during Queen Victoria's reign) the Great Exhibition was held
• In 1977 a Silver Jubilee Exhibition was held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's 25 years on the throne.

Speakers Corner

In 1866 Edmund Beales' Reform League marched on Hyde Park where great scuffles broke out between the League and the police. Eventually the Prime Minister allowed the meetings to continue unchallenged and since 1872, people have been allowed to speak at Speaker's Corner on any subject they want to.